


hear the sea

by chorima



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Established Relationship, Fluff, Holding Hands, M/M, Making Out, No Plot/Plotless, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-24 17:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16644611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chorima/pseuds/chorima
Summary: Jeno promised Jaemin the first place he will take him once he gets his driving license will be the beach.





	hear the sea

Jeno has always been fascinated by cars.

Ever since he was a child, his dad would sit him on his lap while driving, and let him hold the wheel every once in a while, so he could pretend to be the one driving. When he grew tall enough to see the road from behind the wheel, his dad started actually teaching him, letting him move around empty parking lots or deserted streets where he wouldn't be a menace to other beings. All of his life he has been watching drive every adult around him, every teen in foreign movies, and the moment in which he finally acquired that sort of independence, that feeling of freedom, didn't seem to arrive fast enough,; or at least it never arrived as soon as he'd liked.

By the time he was able to sign up for his driving lessons, he already knew all he needed to know, and just wanted to get it over with, to finally be free. The theoric lessons were the worst – don't get him wrong, he knows they are essential to whoever wants to be able to use a vehicle, but he can't help to find them boring as hell. But there was nothing he could do but suck it up, and so he did.

And here he is now, with his fresh-out-of-the-oven licence, ready to take on the world, starting by fulfilling a promise he made a long time ago.

**From Jen:**

[5:36 p.m.] hey baby

[5:36 p.m.] guess who can drive now ^^

**From Jaem:**

[5:40 p.m.] OHMYGODOHMYGOD YESSSS!!!¿"!¿

[5:40 p.m.] i knew you could do it its in your actual blood

[5:41 p.m.] im so proud of you babe :'))

**From Jen:**

[5:42 p.m.] thanks bub <3

[5:43 p.m.] it was really easy ngl hh

[5:43 p.m.] god i'm so so happy now i can take you places

**From Jaem:**

[5:44 p.m.] oh? u got something in mind? ò.ó

**From Jen:**

[5:45 p.m.] yup so make sure to be free tomorrow

[5:45 p.m.] i'll be there early

[5:45 p.m.] oh and bring a swimsuit

**From Jaem:**

[5:47 p.m.] omg okay

[5:48 p.m.] love you babe <3<3<3

**From Jen:**

[5:50 p.m.] love ya too >.<

 

It is early in the morning, just as Jeno had promised. The streets in the residential area in which Jaemin lives are almost empty yet; Jeno can only spot people walking their dogs in their robes and pajamas, a couple of joggers and some people from the delivery service. The weather is actually pretty chilly, so Jeno has to wear a hoodie to keep himself warm, and thanks every single ray of sunshine that hits the windows of his car, which are – luckily – many, despite the clouds in the pastel-colored sky.

He parks in the driveway, in front of Jaemin's house, and gets out of the car to wait for him after sending him a text, announcing that he's here. His boyfriend doesn't take more than five minutes to go out and meet him.

Jeno will never get tired of watching Jaemin in the mornings: his hair is kind of messy from sleep, even if he tries to fix it, and his eyes look dozy, and his face is kind of swollen, which makes his cheeks look chubby and cute. Jaemin has never been a morning person, and that makes him whiny but, although Jeno wouldn't admit it, he finds that absolutely adorable.

The younger boy stands in front of the door for a few seconds, rubbing his eyes with one hand while he holds a cup of coffee in the other. He is wearing light wash jean shorts, frayed on the edges, and a pink sweater, and his old, grey bag is hanging on his right shoulder. Jeno stares at him with a smile drawn on his lips while he waits for him to clear up, and when he does, he smiles back at Jeno brightly, like he wasn't the embodiment of sleepiness a few seconds ago.

"Well, look at you, Mr. Driver" Jaemin says when he's close to Jeno, who is leaning against the car. He wraps his arms loosely around his neck and gives him a peck on the lips, still smiling.

"Hey there, baby," Jeno replies, smiling back. He briefly kisses the younger again before breaking free from his embrace, and then opens the door on the passengers seat. He then bows slightly, pointing at the inside of the car with his hand, somewhat pompously. "You ready?"

Jaemin chuckles, getting in the vehicle. "I was born ready," he says cockily.

Jeno gets in the car after gently closing the door. "Seatbelt," he reminds Jaemin while putting his on.

"Yes, chief," Jaemin sing-songs, obeying.

Jeno starts the car and drives away from Jaemin's house slowly. It's not like he is a reckless driver, he has been well educated by his dad on road safety all his life, but he feels he should be extra careful while driving with someone else, especially if that someone is Jaemin.

"Look at my baby, such a professional," Jaemin says as Jeno drives them out of the city. There is a proud grin on his face which makes Jeno huff, flustered.

"It's not a big deal," he tells his boyfriend.

Eventually, they go out of the city, and Jaemin, who was uncharacteristically quiet – mostly because he was on the verge of falling back asleep, – starts asking questions about the destination. Jeno's intentions are to keep it a secret, so it is more memorable, romantic, something exciting to talk to their grandchildren about, but Jaemin's persistence makes it hard for him not to break. However, he doesn't say a word.

"Are you taking me to the aqua park?" Jaemin asks, glimmer in his eyes. He looks like a hopeful kid like that.

"Nope." Jeno responds with his best poker face on, trying to let him know he has no intentions of revealing his plans to him.

"The spa, then?" Jaemin insists. "I could really use a massage and some pampering..."

 _Shit, that would have been a better idea,_ Jeno thinks. He'll keep that in mind for future reference, for sure.

"Stop asking, I'm not telling you, babe, it's a surprise."

"But I hate surprises!" Jaemin whines, frowning and pouting. And Jeno really wants to kiss that pout away, but he has to focus on the road so he makes his best to ignore it. There will be time for that later.

"Are you sure, though?" He raises an eyebrow. "You always ask for surprises when I ask you for birthday gift ideas."

Jaemin grunts, knowing full well Jeno is right and that he can't really fight him on that one. Still, he does, "I like surprises that I don't know are coming, not surprises that I have to knowingly wait for, it makes me anxious."

"Oh, shut up, you big baby," Jeno says, almost frustrated, and Jaemin laughs, because he is aware of how difficult he can be.

Difficult or not, Jeno wouldn't change him for the world.

 

They are almost halfway to their destination when they stop at a gast station after Jaemin complained over and over about how much he needed to pee.

As soon as Jeno stops the car, Jaemin gets out and almost runs to the bathroom stalls outside the gas station and Jeno uses that time to fill up the tank so he doesn't have to stop in their way back to the city at the end of the day.

Jaemin finishes sooner than expected, and makes his way to the car.

"You look so cool and grown up and hot," he comments when he sees Jeno holding the hose.

The older chuckles, flustered. He should be used by now to his boyfriend's compliments, he does that often – it doesn't matter what he looks like or what he is doing, there is always something Jaemin has to comment on, some cute words he has to say, or it wouldn't be truly him. But the truth is, Jeno is shy and soft, despite his serious, deadpan image, and Jaemin's too cheeky, too flirty, _too much_.

"Wanna get something at the store?" The black-haired boy asks, taking the hose out and putting it in its original place.

"Ugh, thought you'd never ask," Jaemin replies, rolling his eyes. "I'm really craving something sweet.

They go into the store and walk around the aisles trying to decide what to buy. Jeno grabs a bag of bbq-flavored chips while Jaemin chooses Kit Kat, and they both agree on getting a big bottle of Sprite. Jeno pays for everything – _ohh, such a gentleman_ , Jaemin coos – before they go out and resume their journey.

Jeno's eyes are fixed back on the road, but he still sees Jaemin steal the aux cord from the corner of his eye, with a bar of Kit Kat between his lips, and he huffs.

"What are you gonna play?" He asks.

"Well, none of your emo trap music, that's for sure," Jaemin teases, arching his eyebrow while he scrolls down his phone looking for a song.

"Hey! What's wrong with my music?" Jeno protests, frowning.

"Nothing, babe," Jaemin replies, cheeky. "Just... Too sad for our first roadtrip."

Jeno hums in response, and isn't surprised when Jaemin starts playing Twice songs, cheerfully singing along to the lyrics – he eventually joins his boyfriend, and he'd fool no one if he ever said it isn't one of the most fun moments in his life.

 

When they finally get to Jeno's secret location, it isn't that big of a secret anymore. Jaemin figures out they are going to the beach while they are still in the highway, the moment he can spot the sea in the horizon. But as the good boyfriend he is, he doesn't say anything and lets Jeno have the satisfaction of keeping the destination unknown until the end.

Jeno finds a place to park and turns off the car with a sigh – he can't wait to stretch his legs and back.

"So here we are," he announces, looking at Jaemin. "What do you think?" He asks, pointing at the beach in front of them.

"It's cool." The younger nods. "I felt like going for a swim these days. Do you read my mind or something?"

Jeno lets out an airy laugh. "Maybe."

Surprisingly, the beach is not as crowded as expected for a hot summer day – maybe it has to do with the fact that it is a work day – so they find a nice place to settle their things fairly quick. They set their towels side by side, and place their bags close to the umbrella Jeno set up. As soon as they are done settling, Jaemin looks at his boyfriend, a cheeky grin on his lips.

"Last one to the water is a buttface," he states, and before Jeno can complain, he takes off his T-Shirt and starts running to the shore.

It takes the older by surprise, but he follows after a few seconds that Jaemin takes to his advantage. Jeno, being on the track team for a good part of his life, is faster than his boyfriend, and eventually catches him, just as he gets to the water. He wraps his arms around the younger's waist, pulling him in to his chest, which makes them both trip and fall into the cold water.

"You cheater!" Jaemin yells, laughing, once he surfaces. "Buttface!" He exclaims, and splashes water in Jeno's direction.

"Say that to my face!" Jeno retorts, trying to run after him, which is hard because the water reaches up to his waist.

"Buttface!"

Jeno chases after his boyfriend, who keeps splashing water while running and laughing like a little boy from one of those families who are spending their day at the beach too. Jaemin is looking behind him to tease Jeno some more when he trips. Jeno watches him fall in slow motion, mouth agape, and before he can reach out and prevent him from falling, Jaemin is already absolutely submerged. He gets his head out of the water, spitting the salty water with a disgusted grimace and with his drenched hair covering his eyes.

Jeno laughs loudly at the image before him, lending Jaemin a hand for him to stand up. Jaemin grabs it, and easily pulls him into the water as well. However, Jeno doesn't take it badly, and keeps laughing, hiccuping even, now joined by Jaemin.

"You know what?" Jaemin says once the laughter dies out. He wraps his arms around Jeno's shoulders, staring into his eyes and Jeno nods. "I love you to death. Even if you're a buttface and a cheater." He adds with a smirk, and it makes his boyfriend snort.

"I'm _your_ buttface and _your_ cheater," Jeno remarks cheekily, rubbing their noses together now that they are close to each other.

When Jaemin kisses his lips, he tastes like salt, but Jeno doesn't mind it and leans his head to one side to deepen the kiss, because Jaemin himself is nothing but sweet. Even if the water is freezing cold, Jaemin gives him warmth. He places his hands in Jaemin's waist and pulls him closer, and the younger takes this chance to also wrap his legs around his boyfriend's waist. Jeno's hands travel up and down Jaemin's sides and the younger giggles into the kiss because he is ticklish, and Jeno finds that both amusing and adorable. The older gasps when Jaemin tangles his fingers in the hair of the back of his head, and the younger giggles again, because he loves to tease.

When they get out of the water, after a long time of swimming and playing, and splashing, the skin of their fingers looks like raisins. Jeno wraps Jaemin in a towel and kisses his forehead, making a gesture to tell him to seat down. He soon follows, and leans over to where they left their stuff earlier, and gets his backpack.

"You hungry, baby?" He asks, grabbing the food he prepared the night before. He even went grocery shopping for the things he needed on his own – and didn't ask his parents for money!

"You made us food?" Jaemin asks, clearly touched. Then he puts a serious face and goes, "stop stealing my specialities! If you make the food, what am I gonna do? Just look pretty?"

Jeno lets out a laugh, "chill, you're still the ace. This is nothing, just some sandwiches and snacks, nothing elaborate or crazy, even a kid could do this..."

"And it's enough," Jaemin cuts him off, his sweet smile always on his lips.

Even if Jeno insists it's nothing, Jaemin keeps complimenting him, his driving skills, his sandwiches, and calls him cute and a baby over and over again. Jeno would be lying if he said he doesn't feel like the most loved boy in the universe when Jaemin goes into affectionate boyfriend mode. He turns into a blushing and stuttering mess whenever it happens, but it just makes him want to cuddle Jaemin to death even more. He does not hesitate when he tells Jaemin he has 'the best boyfriend in the whole world,' at which the younger replies, rather ungracefully, "how is it dating yourself?"

Jeno usually gives Jaemin the silent treatment for a few minutes whenever he says something way too cheesy, or when he tries too hard, but he can't resist his boyfriend when he asks him to feed him watermelon. Some could say he is a hundred per cent whipped, and Jeno would have to agree, even if doing so hurts his pride.

 

After having the little picnic Jeno had prepared, they both have a short nap. They spend the afternoon going back and forth between the water and their towels, have fun playing card games and just chatting while sunbathing – Jaemin kinda forces Jeno to get out from under the umbrella, telling him that his skin will glow at the end of the day and calling him a vampire.

It is almost the end of the day now, the weather is becoming chilly again, making people want to go back home. The beach is almost empty now, except for a few families who are preparing to leave and some people jogging, so they can now clearly hear the waves crashing and the seagulls wailing in the distance. Jeno and Jaemin put on their hoodies and decide to go for a walk along the shore.

The sun is going down and the sky, that has been bright blue the whole day, is now a gradient of pinks and oranges, and tints the scene of beautiful warm colors as they stroll holding hands.

"You know why I brought you here?" Jeno asks, after a few moments of comfortable silence as they admired the sunset. Jaemin hums, waiting for him to give him an answer to the question. "Do you remember when I first signed up for driving school, that you asked me where I would want to go first? I said the first place I'd ever want to go to when I got my license would be the beach. And I promised I would take you with me to see the sunset."

When Jeno turns his head to look at Jaemin, he sees the boy is wearing his softest smile, so beautiful that it puts the sunset that reflects in his eyes at shame – Jeno swears he has never been more in love. "And here we are," Jaemin says.

"Here we are," Jeno repeats, and then he leans in to lay a soft peck on his boyfriend's lips.

After their walk, they pick up their stuff and go back to the car. Jaemin suggests finding some place to have dinner after his stomach starts growling as if a wolf lived inside of him – _swimming makes me hungry, okay?_ He justifies. They drive around a little before finding a cute diner that serves milkshakes that make Jaemin's eyes turn into hearts. Once they get their food, Jaemin of course has to take a bunch of pictures of their order and of themselves to post on Instagram, which would annoy Jeno if it wasn't Jaemin the one doing it.

With their bellies full, they start their trip back home.

 

The way back home is boring, Jeno thinks. It is dark now, so he can barely see the landscape, and both the darkness and the soft music that Jeno plays during the trip lull Jaemin to sleep in the passenger's seat, resting his head against the window pane, and using Jeno's hoodie as a blanket.

Even though it takes them to come back the same amount of time it took them to get there in the morning, time passes slowly without having someone to talk to, so when Jeno pulls up in front of Jaemin's house, he's relieved.

He then gently wakes his boyfriend up, who is confused and disoriented, and helps him get his stuff out of the car and then inside the house.

"Did you have fun, baby?" He asks once he is ready to leave.

Jaemin smiles through his sleepiness. "Uh-huh. You set the bar way too high for our next roadtrip." Even when he's sleepy he's a cheeky bastard, Jeno thinks with a smirk.

They kiss goodbye, and Jeno doesn't leave until he sees the light of Jaemin's room turned off.

When he finally gets home, he feels like he has been run over by a hundred trucks.

Still, the smile he put on the younger's face throughout the day made it all worth it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> hey there! so jeno said in multiple fansigns he wants to take jaemin to the beach once he gets his license, so someone had to write it and... that someone turned out to be me jfkhgjf it just makes my heart melt even thinking about it...  
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed reading it, let me know what you think! love ya uwu  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/c0smicg4y) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/c0smicg4y)


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